Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. The nature and purpose of financial management
2. Financial objectives and relationship with corporate strategy
3. Stakeholders and impact on corporate objectives
4. Financial and other objectives in not‐for‐profit organisations
The nature and purpose of financial management
What is financial management?
Financial management is concern with the management of all matters associated with the cash flow of
an organisation both short‐term and long term. How the company uses its funds typically by buying non‐
current assets and funding its working capital and where the funds came from typically from the
shareholders (equity) or by borrowing money from third parties (loans/debt).
A decision to invest in capital assets should be considered against:
• Return
• Risk
• Short‐term profitability
• Liquidity
Return
The return of an investment is the profit that is derived from the acquired asset. Profit may be
calculated in several ways; financial accounting profit or net present value (which is a measure of the
surplus cash received less the cash paid out over the life of the product, expressed in terms of the
current value of the cash flow).
Risk
Risk is the probability that an event will occur. It is not based on a hunch that an event might occur it is a
quantified assessment of what might occur.
Short‐term profitability
The short‐term profitability of an investment is important because if too little profit is made during the
early stages of the project the organisation may struggle to keep financing the project for the longer
term.
Liquidity
Liquidity has to do with the additional strain on cash that the new project requires. The investment in
the project must include an amount for the increased working capital requirement that the organisation
will need. The additional cost must be included in the decision criteria.
What is working capital?
Working capital is the cash resource available to the business on a day‐to‐day basis and used to finance
the current assets such as inventory and receivable. Without it the business would run out of cash and
become insolvent.
What are some disadvantages of working capital?
Working capital does not directly provide any returns. Returns come from using the capital assets that
depend on the working capital. The business therefore has to balance the amount of working capital it
has. Too much and the cost of having money tied up in working capital increases and profitability
decreases.
When looking at the financing of a business there are four basic points to consider:
• Total funding required (difference between what it requires and what it has)
• Internally generated vs. externally generated
• Debt vs. equity
• Long‐term vs. short‐term debt
Calculate the funding an organisation requires?
Existing assets + new investments – Disposal of investments +/‐ changes in working capital
Calculate the funding an organisation has?
Existing funding + retained earnings (‐losses) + new equity raised (‐reduced) + new loans (‐redemptions)
Calculate total funding required?
Funding an organisation requires – funding an organisation has
When looking to pay dividends there are five basic points to consider:
• Profitability
• Liquidity
• Growth
• Investors’ expectation
• Legal requirements
Financial objectives and relationship with corporate strategy
The aims of the financial management team should be aligned with those of the wider corporate
strategy.
Some objectives of commercial companies include:
• Maximising shareholder’s wealth
• Maximising profits
• Satisficing/satisfying
Maximising shareholder’s wealth
Shareholders’ wealth comes primarily from the value of the company’s shares, therefore, if the directors
manage the business in such a way that the share price is maximised then they have maximised
shareholders’ wealth.
Time period may differ between shareholders themselves and the management of the business – some
shareholders may be looking for a quick return (get in and get out fast), some may be looking to build
the business for the long‐term (in it for the long haul).
A high share price may be quickly achieved if directors pursue risky strategy but this may be a strategy
that will go badly wrong resulting in a collapse of the share price and the share market.
In practice if shareholders are unhappy with the management of the business they can sell their shares
but the point is that directors should be aware of these issues to ensure that their objectives really are
those of the shareholders.
Maximising profits
Management is rewarded on some measure of profit and we expect some correlation between profit
increasing and shareholders’ wealth increasing but there may be some conflicts:
• Short‐termism – profit is calculated over one year, relatively easy to manipulate resulting in high
returns for managers but affect long‐term interest of shareholders
• Cash vs. Profit – Wealth is calculated on a cash basis
• Risk – managers may be incline to accept risky projects to achieve profit targets which may
affect adversely the value of the business
Satisficing / Satisfying
Satificing is where an organisation is primarily concern about surviving rather than growing this mean
that it attempts to generate an acceptable level of profit with minimal risk.
Stakeholders and impact on corporate objectives
Stakeholders are any party that has
• An interest in the company
• A relationship of some sort with the company
• Can exert influence over the company
The main stakeholders of a company can be listed as follows:
• Shareholders
• Employees and unions
• HM Revenue and Customs
• Local Council
• Local people living close to the business
• Customers
• Debt holders
Organisations have a responsibility to balance the requirements of all stakeholder groups in relation to
the relative economic power or influence of each stakeholder. Depending on the degree of influence
which each stakeholder possesses, the company must deliver the various stakeholders the return that
the stakeholder is seeking.
The level of returns within an organisation is finite therefore there is a need to balance the needs of all
groups in relation to their relative strength.
Give example of conflicts between stakeholders?
Employees and unions demand more pay or a shorter working week and this affects the level of
profitability expected by shareholders.
Neighbours may complain about the level of pollution the company produces.
Customers may demand extra services from employees or complain that prices of products/services are
too high.
Debt‐holders want returns regardless of the business profitability.
Shareholders may demand large dividends which can weaken the company’s asset base.
How can goal congruence be achieved?
Goal congruence is defined as the state which leads individuals or groups to take actions which are in
their self interest and also in the best interest of the entity.
In order to achieve goal congruence there should be introduction of careful designed remuneration
packages for managers and the workforce which would motivate them to take decisions which will be
consistent with the objectives of the share holders.
Including share options as part of a manager’s remuneration package incentivises the managers to try
and maximise the share price as this will maximise the capital gains they will achieve. It will at the same
time satisfy shareholders.
Performance related pay incentivises both managers and the workforce to maximise shareholders’
wealth. Objectives and targets are set and if they are met then bonuses are paid in accordance with an
agreed formula.
Financial and other objectives in not‐for‐profit organisations
Not‐for‐profit organisations are established to pursue non‐financial aims and exist to provide services to
the community. Such organisations need fund to finance their operations. Their major constraint is the
amount of funds that they would be able to raise. As a result not‐for‐profit organisations should seek to
use the limited funds so as to obtain value for money.
Value for money simply means getting the best possible service at the least possible cost. Value for
money involves providing a service which is economical, efficient and effective.
Economy means resourcing and purchasing the inputs at minimum cost consistent with the required
quality of the output.
Effectiveness means doing the right thing.
Efficiency means doing the right thing well.
THEN END